A group of religious refugees are finding a home in East Tennessee. Chaldean Catholics, native to Iraq, are fleeing their home country to avoid persecution.

Many Chaldeans are tortured, even murdered over their religious beliefs. There are an estimated 150,000 Chaldeans in the United States, including over 100 in East Tennessee. On Saturday, Bishop Ibrahim Ibrahim of the St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Chaldean Diocese, which covers the Eastern US, said mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Knoxville to help teach local Catholics about the Chaldean's plight.

"Usually they believe that all Iraqis are Muslims, but no, we are Christians even from the beginning, before Islam was there, Christians were there," Bishop Ibrahim said.

Joining him are members of the newly formed organization "Iraqi Christians in Need".

Chaldean Caucus of Michigan is a non-partisan group of politically knowledgeable Chaldeans. We serve the Chaldean community by engaging and encouraging Chaldeans to be more politically active. Some of our efforts include helping Chaldean candidates run for office, registering and encouraging Chaldeans to vote, and educating the community about local politicians and where they stand on issues important to the Chaldean community.

We use our community culture as a measuring stick in responses to questionnaires, researching the candidates, reviewing voting records, and making these recommendations for our community.

The following candidates are officially endorsed by the Chaldean Caucus of Michigan. All Chaldeans are encouraged to go out and vote Tuesday August 3rd in the Michigan primary. We tend to list only those offices where a large Chaldean population exists. If your particular city or district is not listed please contact us for a custom guide. You may VOTE in ONLY ONE party's primary - either Republican or Democratic. If you attempt to vote in more than one party's primary, your ballot will be invalidated. In a Primary election, voters CANNOT "split their ticket" for the Partisan offices.

Baghdad, IRAQ – Chaldean Bishop Andreas Abouna of Iraq died this past Tuesday, July 27th, 2010. The 67 year old Bishop suffered from ongoing kidney complications and passed in an Erbil hospital located in northern Iraq. Chaldean Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly, presided at Bishop Abouna’s funeral at St Joseph’s Cathedral, Ankawa, near Erbil.

The ailing Bishop was known for his peaceful calls, optimism, and concern for the youth of Iraq. Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil described him as a pastor who was “always smiling, even in very difficult situations”. Amid his increasing health problems, Bishop Abouna remained in war-torn Baghdad. Without care for his own well-being the Bishop often held youth events and activities. He counseled young Iraqis of all faiths as increasing horrific violence pervaded their daily lives. The bishop also responded to a shortage of priests by serving at the parish of Our Lady of the Assumption, in the one of Iraq’s most dangerous city’s in the Al Mansour district.

Bishop Abouna was born on March 23, 1943 in the village of Bedar, outside the northern Iraqi town of Zakho. At the age of 14, he joined St Peter’s Seminary, then based in the northern city of Mosul, and was ordained a priest for the Chaldean Catholic Church on June 5, 1966.

Michigan, USA –The Chaldean community has seen horrible devastation as Chaldeans are again persecuted for their Christian faith. Nonetheless, Chaldeans remain unwavering and continue marching towards their faith amidst distressing struggles.

“The pain we feel is hard,” says Husam Bodia. “Our people have been ripped apart for believing in Jesus Christ. Our women and children have been thrown to wolves; the men tortured and killed. No matter. We will not turn away from our faith. Thank God our church remains. Our Church is saving our people and our way of life. It is a cold glass of water in the desert.”

Bodia, like many other Chaldeans celebrate the Chaldean Church’s leadership in reaching out to the injured and needy. “Our prayers have been answered. We have more priests and deacons ordained than at any time in our history,” Bodia adds that the most recent ordination being Fr. Fawa Kako.

Kako’s ordination marks another example of the Chaldean Churches in America dramatic and bold steps in serving the community. Chaldean religious leaders across America have been tirelessly working to organize and prepare for the care and comfort of those in need.

California, USA – Senseless death after senseless death rocks the Chaldean community. From news of loved ones murdered for their religion in Iraq, refugees able to escape the religious persecution are forced into subhuman conditions and feared dead, and in America as the economic toll of the country takes its course, Chaldeans remain especially vulnerable to robbery, mayhem, and murder.

For a culture with strong family relations, the devastation is catastrophic. “Chaldeans value their family relationships,” says Raymond Bahri, a Michigan social worker. “They tend to come from a large family and pull their resources together to survive. The family traditions and get-togethers like birthdays, communions, and graduations are widely celebrated as feasts.”

Perhaps that is why the pain of losing a loved one to a senseless murder over money is so devastating to the Chaldean community. “Something as priceless as the family relationship being ripped apart by murder is shocking,” adds Bahri. “It breaks my heart to learn of the murder.”

Recently a friend of mine joined me at my cousins wedding. Besides the number of guests, decorations, and non-stop dancing do you know what surprised my friend? That we ate dinner at 10 pm in the evening

It goes without saying that Chaldeans on average get anywhere from 5-7 hours of sleep a night. Long hours in the family business and events that span into the wee hours leave little time for bed time. Some are impressed that Chaldeans can function at such an intense level with so little rest. It may be impressive, but that doesn’t make it good for us.

A June 2010 Newsweek article entitled “The Surprising Toll of Sleep Deprivation”, discusses a research study that only allowed participants 6 hours of sleep per night for a two week period. The study found that even though the subjects felt some sleepiness and “they thought they were functioning normally, formal testing showed that their cognitive abilities and reaction times progressively declined over the two weeks. By the end of the two week test, they were as impaired as subjects who had been continuously awake for 48 hours”.

When you look at these results, it’s very clear that many Chaldeans would be performing even better if they had more sleep.

Let me begin by sharing my deepest and most heartfelt gratitude to all the wonderful e-mails shared with me by readers of my articles. As I have written to some of you, please join me by sending me your ideas or writing for this wonderful website. It is a blessing that it is available and hopefully other courageous writers will contribute an article about their profession, passions, or points of views.

I am sorry it has taken so long to write more articles as the winding down of another semester, caring for some elderly relatives, and helping my dad find a job, has kept me quite occupied. My family has hit a financial snag when my father was laid off from work. I share this not to endear any readers, that is the furthest from my mind, but to share a personal reflection that has given rise to today’s article. Thankfully dad was able to find another job, but he now has to drive nearly two hours one way.

I mention this to highlight another reason why I love my dad so much; his optimism born from his faith. When I tried to empathize with his ordeal of a long travel and less pay he smiled and said, “brronee (son), I listen to your Ipod (after I showed him how to connect it to the car, he is infatuated with the device and has adopted it as his own), pray an extra rosary, and enjoy your mother’s bag of fresh fruit and vegetables; I am even more blessed now. God always knows better, I just enjoy the ride.”

Washington DC, USA - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is championing her home state’s wine industry in an effort to defeat bill that would give states greater control over how Alcohol is distributed. The move is causing a battle on Capitol Hill as California winemakers are pitted against beer wholesalers and distributors. Pelosi and her wine caucus is working to stop the Comprehensive Alcohol Regulatory Effectiveness and by doing so, open the flood gate of out-of-state alcohol distribution via direct shipment.

Direct shipments of alcohol cut out the distributors and middlemen, allowing wineries to sell straight to customers who may have visited in person or browsed via the Internet. Wineries, in particular, have considered direct shipping across state lines a retail boon.

Many states enacted laws that either prohibited direct shipping or severely restricted it. “This legislation is urgently needed to help states defend against lawsuits that are motivated by economic gain … and are not in the best interest of the health, safety and welfare of the public,” Nida Samona, the chairwoman of the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, told a House panel recently. (To read Nida Samona's Testimony before the House CLICK HERE.)

Michigan, USA - The Chaldean community in Michigan were stunned to learn two of their favorite shopping locations went up in flames yesterday afternoon. Both Kashat International Market and New Sahara Restaurant were completely destroyed by fire.

Firefighters from Oak Park, Ferndale, and Beverly Hills spent all day Wednesday trying to get the five alarm fire under control. Early reports indicate the fire started in an international market and spread to the New Sahara Restaurant next door.

Both businesses have been in the community for decades. “Almost every Chaldean family has eaten or shopped at those places,” says Alex Jabarow of Novi. “Sahara would often stay open until two or four in the morning as Chaldeans would close their business and visit for a late night meal. Those places have lots of history and meant a lot to many Chaldeans. Especially those who fell in love with their house sauce.”

Michigan, USA – "Chaldean business owners prove they believe in Michigan. They put their money where their mouth is," says Ashley Hanna of the Chaldean Education and Career Center. "Despite the high business taxes and anti-business environment in the state, Chaldeans continue to reinvest, improve, and open new businesses in their local communities."

On Washtenaw Avenue in Ann Arbor, Mark Yaldo has committed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the community by becoming the new owner of an abandoned and blighted building on 3555 Washtenaw. Yaldo has been spending money all year working with contractors to open an improved and upgraded Marathon brand fuel station and convenient store.

Chaldeans are reminded that staying healthy during the summer months requires more than just eating the right foods. Dr. Saad Manni offers this partial list of things Chaldeans can do that will help keep them cool and healthy during the hot summer months.

Michigan, USA – The cold air has thawed in the great lakes states and Chaldeans are fast enjoying the summer days. With temperatures getting warmer, many Chaldeans are firing up their barbeque grills. Grilling is one of the most treasured outdoor activities to do every summer for Chaldean Families. Shish Kabob, chiken tooka, and grilled vegetables folded in warm grilled pita bread with garlic sauce and a nice cold drink is usually enough to give any Chaldean a glimpse into the essence of back-home joys.

www.CHALDEAN.org collects a number of community tips on choosing the best gas grills. Next week we complete our report on Chaldean barbeque tips. Community members are asked to send in their best tips when barbequing Chaldean foods to info@chaldean.org.

Michigan, USA – “I hope the State Department is prepared to defend its position with hard facts. We are tired of hallow promises. Chaldeans have not seen any serious action from the U.S. about protecting the rights of minority in Iraq or helping the hundreds of thousands of refugees scattered across the world,” says Anthony Aboud of Sterling Heights, Michigan. “I pray every Chaldean concerned about what is happening in Iraq and what is happening to Chaldean refugees around the world joins me on June first.”

On Tuesday, June 1, 2010, from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., Michael Corbin, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Special Coordinator for Iraq's Minority Communities will be speaking at the American Polish Cultural Center located on 2975 E. Maple Road (corner of 15 Mile & Dequindre), Troy, MI 48083.

Chaldean business owners know if you want to expand your business, you're going to need some cash. Money still isn't falling off trees for small businesses, and the lending process can be a challenge to navigate. As a professional loan officer for a large banking company Haisha helps small businesses prepare loan request packages. He also serves as the corresponding secretary of a private Chaldean investment group in Michigan. The Chaldean group pulls their financial resources, investor connections, and business expertise together to help fund new Chaldean business ventures.

Banks have tightened their lending policies, and it is more difficult for a Chaldean entrepreneur to get financing. “The difficulty in getting a loan from a bank is causing many Chaldean small-business owners to have to get creative with finding sources of capital.” Haisha adds, “Many Chaldeans have great businesses ideas, but do not have the money, business contacts, or expertise to make a go of it. Chaldean entrepreneur candidates submit loan or investment requests to our members and we decide as a group, which we will fund.”

The Chaldean venture capitalists group is mostly composed of successful business entrepreneurs, professionals with funds to invest, and businesses able to provide services to new businesses. The group tend to invest or loan money to Chaldeans who have developed a thorough plan for the success of their business. Loans are provided with untraditional collateral requirements and terms.

Chaldeans have received hundreds of thousands in loans by offering gold for collateral, property in Iraq, or agree to equity shares of their business says Haisha. “Our members each buy shares into a proposed business opportunity. Shares prices range from a few hundred dollars to hundreds of thousands, depending on the amount needed by the business selected to be funded.”

California, USA – The spring season brings with it a welcoming initiation to travel. Chaldean students excitedly plan for the end of the college winter semester by traveling home or planning a visit to out-of-state relatives. For Gina Abaya, a student at San Diego State it is traveling to see her favorite cousins in Michigan. “I was an only child. My cousin Cynthia and I were best of friends. We were sisters,” Gina says.

While Gina may be looking forward to seeing her favorite cousin she dreads the travel headaches. “Packing is fun. I always pack way too much, but don’t mind. I do mind all the extra travel charges and the security checks that always seem to take so long and seem to put everyone on edge. I love the extra security, but do they really have to make it so stressful,” Gina asks.

Chaldeans preparing to travel will experience no shortage of indignities and none rivals the worry of the security line. Will the fashionista in front of you take twenty minutes to unlace her knee-high boots? Will your bag be the one selected for a dump-it-all-on-the-counter inspection? Did you forget something in your bag they consider dangerous? What are the new restrictions? How long will it take?

Today’s www.CHALDEAN.org article is to help Chaldeans prepare for the travel process to overcome the dramas and cliffhangers and help keep your wits and your schedule. It will help you keep up your odds of zipping through quickly.